Records and information governance for law firms
Septer tracks each box from barcode to destruction eligibility, with every hold and every handover on the record.
Past every retention period that applies, under no legal hold. Nothing has been destroyed. This is a review queue.
| Matter | Status | Governed by | Kept until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartwell v. Corvane Shipping | Eligible | Litigation files | 30 Sep 2025 |
| Orsini Estate Administration | Eligible | Probate | 12 Jan 2026 |
| Castellan Logistics: Lease review | Eligible | Transactional | 03 Jun 2026 |
| Beaumont Trust Restatement | Eligible | Trusts | 21 Aug 2026 |
How it works
Intake, storage, check-out, legal holds and retention are managed in one system, against a single record for each box.
Register the box at its receiving location.
Assigned by location and container type.
Placed within your location hierarchy.
Check-outs and returns recorded against the holder.
A hold on the client or matter overrides the retention date.
Eligibility is reported today. Recording destruction is on the roadmap.
The lifecycle of one box, to scale
Search
Global search returns clients and matters as you type. Each matter's Files tab lists its containers and their contents.
On the recordChecked out. Tomas Lindqvist
Storage
Move through your location hierarchy level by level, from building to shelf, and see every container stored there.
On the recordChecked in. Back on Shelf 18
| Barcode | Type | Matter | Holder |
|---|---|---|---|
| BX-104127 | Box | Hartwell v. Corvane Shipping | — |
| BX-104128 | Box | Hartwell v. Corvane Shipping | — |
| BX-099801 | Box | Orsini Estate Administration | — |
| BX-099804 | Box | Orsini Estate Administration | Mei Tanaka |
| BX-101562 | Box | Castellan Logistics: Lease review | — |
| PL-000217 | Pallet | — | — |
| BX-102240 | Box | Beaumont Trust Restatement | Tomas Lindqvist |
Retention and legal holds
The eligibility report lists matters that have passed every applicable retention period and are under no legal hold, with the governing policy for each. It is calculated from your schedule, not maintained by hand.
On the recordHold raised on matter. Jude Okoye
Audit trail
Every movement is recorded against the container with the user and the time, and is available on the record itself rather than through a separate export.
On the recordRelocated. Offsite, Bay 12
Configuration
Fields, container types, locations, barcode formats and retention policies are managed in settings, without a change request.
A typical vendor change request
A specification, a quotation and a release date, and a field that may not match what was requested.
Septer
An administrator adds the field in Settings and it is available on matters straight away. No deployment, migration or support ticket.
Text, long text, number, currency, date, boolean, phone, select or relation, on clients, matters, locations, containers and documents.
Define the containers your archive uses and the nesting rules between them. Invalid nesting is prevented.
Model any storage hierarchy, from a single file room to an offsite warehouse. The hierarchy is enforced.
Set per location and container type, or globally. Numbering continues from your existing labels.
Define policies, trigger events and precedence. Where two policies apply, the higher-ranked one governs.
On the recordInsurance carrier set. Rosa Ames
Defensibility
When a client, regulator or court asks why a record still exists, or why it is eligible for destruction, the answer is already on file. This is the complete record of the box followed on this page.
Clients, matters, boxes, documents, holds, policies, locations, barcode schemes and users each record who changed what and when, with the before and after.
Each hold records the client or matter it covers, who authorised it and when. Removal requires a reason, which is retained.
Define roles that match positions in your firm. Each role grants specific permissions by area: Retention.Manage, LegalHolds.View, Auditing.View.
Who it is for
Scan or enter a barcode to check a box out. The holder and the time are recorded.
Saves time on: check-out and return
Type part of a client or matter name to open the matter with its containers listed.
Saves time on: locating files
See which matters are eligible for destruction, with the governing policy for each.
Saves time on: retention review
FAQ
Yes. Set the prefix, the suffix and the next number, per location and container type or as one global scheme, and numbering carries on from your last label.
No. Retention dates continue to be calculated. The hold overrides them, so the matter remains off the eligibility report until the hold is removed, however far past its date it is.
Per matter. Policies cover matters, and holds apply to a client or a matter. Containers follow the matter they belong to.
It is never eligible for destruction. The absence of a policy is not treated as permission to destroy.
Yes. Custom fields, container types, location types, barcode schemes and the retention schedule are all settings pages. None of them requires a change request.
Recording destruction, integrations and notifications. Today Septer reports what is eligible for destruction. It does not destroy records or record their destruction.
We will take one of your matters through Septer, from intake to retention, and cover what your firm would need before relying on it.